Come out to Ireland Street Chapel and join us for a celebration of community fellowship.

Many Testimonials
Live Worship Band
Delicious Catered Meal

When: 9/19 at 6:00pm

Where: Peoples Church
247 N NC 87
Burlington

Tickets are $25/person.
Tables hold 8 people.

Reservations:
woodylamm7@gmail.com
Or
336-260-7393

Come help us celebrate  God’s Goodness over 20 years!

Ricky Durham let the men this evening opening with an update on our jail ministry reporting that attendance was so enthusiastic that they didn’t have enough room to take all the men who were interested in attending. We also received an update and a good word from Pastor Greg who has been doing well in physical therapy and was able to return to Men of Steel for the first time since his car accident. Praise God.

For the message, brother Ricky gave a word comparing our earthy fathers and our inherent sin nature to the nature we adopt as children of our heavenly Father.

Genesis 3:1-19
1. The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made.  One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”

2. “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied.  3. “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat.  God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”

4. “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman.  5. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”

6. The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her.  So she took some of the fruit and ate it.  Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.  7. At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness.  So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.

8. When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden.  So they hid from the Lord God among the trees.  9. Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

10. He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”

11. “Who told you that you were naked?” the Lord God asked.  “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?”

12. The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”

13. Then the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?”
“The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.”

14. Then the Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all animals, domestic and wild.  You will crawl on your belly, groveling in the dust as long as you live.
15. And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring.  He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”

16. Then he said to the woman, “I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth.  And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you.”

17. And to the man he said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you.  All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.
18. It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains.
19. By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made.  For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.”

This week, Aaron led the men in a lesson comparing the wisdom of the world to passages in the Bible. We discussed the flaws in the world’s wisdom and how God’s wisdom is better.

World’s Wisdom: “Follow your heart.”

Jeremiah 17:9
The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked.  Who really knows how bad it is?

Matthew 4:19
Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”

World’s Widsom: “Go with your gut.”

Matthew 16:24
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.”

World’s Wisdom: “Don’t judge.”

John 7:24
Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.

Proverbs 31:9
Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.

World’s Wisdom: “God helps those who help themselves.”

Matthew 11:28
Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

World’s Wisdom: “God will never give you more than you can handle.”

I Corinthians 10:13
The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience.  And God is faithful.  He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand.  When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

World’s Wisdom: “He was a good man.”

Mark 10:18
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good.”

Aaron opened the meeting with a table discussion from Ephesians 2 about how we’re saved from sin by God’s grace and not our own value or actions. Following this idea, Aaron then led the men in a message from Philippians 2 about how the posture of our attitude and choices should reflect that grace so the world can see Jesus through us.

Ephesians 2:4-10
4. But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5. that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead.  (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)  6. For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.  7. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.
8. God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.  9. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.  10. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Philippians 2:12-18
12. Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you.  And now that I am away, it is even more important.  Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.  13. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
14. Do everything without complaining and arguing, 15. so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.  16. Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.  17. But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God.  And I want all of you to share that joy.  18. Yes, you should rejoice, and I will share your joy.

We were able to share fun, a meal, and a message with members of the surrounding community. This has been a new and ongoing monthly outreach project and we at Piedmont Men of Steel are happy and blessed to be able to serve our community and share the Gospel.

Brother Lars led the men with a message from the book of Revelation, chapter 21. We discussed how heaven itself represents a space full of the presence of God like the temple in Jerusalem but incredibly larger and in this place we will be reconciled to God without sin so there will be no more barrier separating us from the Father. And we reviewed the symbolic nature of the physical design described in Revelation as it represents the tribes of Israel and the apostles.

Revelation 21
1. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared.  And the sea was also gone.  2. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
3. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people!  He will live with them, and they will be his people.  God himself will be with them.  4. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain.  All these things are gone forever.”
5. And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!”  And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.”  6. And he also said, “It is finished!  I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End.  To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life.  7. All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.
8. “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur.  This is the second death.”
9. Then one of the seven angels who held the seven bowls containing the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come with me!  I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”
10. So he took me in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.  11. It shone with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious stone—like jasper as clear as crystal.  12. The city wall was broad and high, with twelve gates guarded by twelve angels.  And the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were written on the gates.  13. There were three gates on each side—east, north, south, and west.  14. The wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15. The angel who talked to me held in his hand a gold measuring stick to measure the city, its gates, and its wall.  16. When he measured it, he found it was a square, as wide as it was long.  In fact, its length and width and height were each 1,400 miles.  17. Then he measured the walls and found them to be 216 feet thick (according to the human standard used by the angel).
18. The wall was made of jasper, and the city was pure gold, as clear as glass.  19. The wall of the city was built on foundation stones inlaid with twelve precious stones: the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20. the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.
21. The twelve gates were made of pearls—each gate from a single pearl!  And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass.
22. I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.  23. And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light.  24. The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory.  25. Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there.  26. And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city.  27. Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Brother Will led the men in a guided night of prayer on this evening in which we took a moment in prayer to focus on specific passages of scripture. First we focused on prayers of praise and thanksgiving, then we confessed sins to one another in repentance and then gave them to the Lord in prayers asking for His forgiveness. We wrapped up the evening praying for one another and giving our cares and worries to God, trusting Him to see us through.

Psalm 150
1. Praise the Lord!  Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heaven!
2. Praise him for his mighty works; praise his unequaled greatness!
3. Praise him with a blast of the ram’s horn; praise him with the lyre and harp!
4. Praise him with the tambourine and dancing; praise him with strings and flutes!
5. Praise him with a clash of cymbals; praise him with loud clanging cymbals.
6. Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord!  Praise the Lord!

James 5:16
16. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

1 John 1:9
9. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

Philippians 1:3-6
3. Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.  4. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, 5. for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.  6. And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

Philippians 4:6-7
6. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  7. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

We started the evening with a table discussion on a passage in Matthew 5 about sin in our own lives and what it means to genuinely flee from it. Aaron led the men in a powerful word accompanied by a sermon excerpt about Jesus and the thieves on the cross. We looked at how Jesus is the only way that any of us may enter heaven and how it’s not by our own saving of our souls but by His paying the price for our sins that we’re able to be redeemed.

Matthew 5:27-30
27. “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’  28. But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  29. So if your eye, even your good eye, causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.  30. And if your hand, even your stronger hand, causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

Luke 23:39-43
39. One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself and us, too, while you’re at it!”
40. But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die?  41. We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.”  42. Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”
43. And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

We also had a new group of men start the New Beginner’s class with Pastor Greg to learn what it means to be Men of Steel and mold one another toward Christ. Keep up the good work, guys!

On this night we opened with a table discussion which lead directly into a word delivered by brother Heath Rudd on how we’re called to live a transformed life. Even though you accept salvation through Jesus, temptation and sin still exists. As believers, one of the most powerful weapons against sin in your life is to take up your metaphorical cross and follow the example of Jesus in how you live and the decisions you make. Because we have received salvation, we should fight the ways of the world from a position of victory, not to achieve victory. In Jesus, we’ve already won.

Psalm 1:1-6
1. Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.
2. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.
3. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season.  Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.
4. But not the wicked!  They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.
5. They will be condemned at the time of judgment.  Sinners will have no place among the godly.
6. For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.

Colossians 2:20-21
20. You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, 21. “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”?

Colossians 3:1-14
1. Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.  2. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.  3. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.  4. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.
5. So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you.  Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires.  Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.  6. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming.  7. You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world.  8. But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language.  9. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds.  10. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.  11. In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.
12. Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  13. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you.  Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.  14. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.

Luke 9:23
Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.

Romans 7:14-25
14. So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good.  The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin.  15. I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.  16. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good.  17. So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
18. And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.  I want to do what is right, but I can’t.  19. I want to do what is good, but I don’t.  I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.  20. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
21. I have discovered this principle of life, that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.  22. I love God’s law with all my heart.  23. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind.  This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.  24. Oh, what a miserable person I am!  Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?  25. Thank God!  The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.  So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

Romans 8:1-17
1. So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.  2. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.  3. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature.  So God did what the law could not do.  He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have.  And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.  4. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.
5. Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.  6. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death.  But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.  7. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will.  8. That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.
9. But you are not controlled by your sinful nature.  You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you.  (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)  10. And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God.  11. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you.  And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.
12. Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.  13. For if you live by its dictates, you will die.  But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.  14. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
15. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves.  Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children.  Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”  16. For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.  17. And since we are his children, we are his heirs.  In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory.  But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.